Milwaukee Hands Bulldogs 3-1 Setback

Sep 26, 2008

Milwaukee, Wis. - Butler totaled double-figure
blocks in its eighth match of the year, but the steady defense
would not be enough as host Milwaukee held off the Bulldogs, 25-16,
25-21, 20-25, 25-19, at the Klotsche Center on Friday (Sept. 26)
evening.

Senior setter Dana Daprile
finished with a team-best seven kills and 23 assists, while
sophomore middle blocker Jalesa Lee added six
kills and a team-high five block assists as the Bulldogs fell to
11-3 on the year and 1-1 in Horizon League play. The Panthers,
meanwhile, improve to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in conference.

Butler found itself quickly on the short end in the opening set,
as Milwaukee ran out to an 11-3 advantage before rolling to a 25-16
win and a swift 1-0 lead in the match.

The two squads made things interesting in the second period,
however, as Butler battled UWM to a 10-10 deadlock before the
Panthers used a 6-2 run to take a four-point edge in the set. The
Bulldogs closed the gap to three at 21-18 but could get no closer,
as Milwaukee used a 3-0 surge to reach set point before scoring a
25-21 win and a 2-0 lead at the break.

After the Panthers took a quick 1-0 lead in the third set, the
Bulldogs reeled off five-straight points to take a 5-1 advantage; a
lead they never relinquished in the game. Butler built up as much
as a nine-point margin at 17-9 before the Panthers rallied on a 9-2
run to close the deficit to one at 19-18. The Bulldogs would
prevail in the end, scoring five-straight points to get back into
the bout at 2-1.

Butler seemed on the brink of bringing the match back to even
midway through the fourth set, as the Bulldogs held a two-point
lead at 17-15 following a kill by Porshia Allen. An
ensuing 9-1 run by Milwaukee, however, would erase much of a chance
of a comeback, as the Panthers built up a 24-18 lead before holding
on for the deciding bout.

The Bulldogs finished with 10 blocks in the match, the
seventh-straight match with at least nine blocks by the team.

Lee tallied a team-high five block assists while hitting a
team-best .750 (6-0-8) in the match.